


So fix your eyes and get up

by immoral_crow



Series: Inception Bingo Fills [6]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Angst, Grief/Mourning, Inception Bingo, M/M, Tentacles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 16:07:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7647664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/immoral_crow/pseuds/immoral_crow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At times like these, Oscar thought, curling his tentacles around himself in a comforting self hug, he really missed Mr Eames.</p>
            </blockquote>





	So fix your eyes and get up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kansouame](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kansouame/gifts).



> For the tentacles prompt on my bingo card. 
> 
> So, once upon a time I had a panic attack, and to help me keep breathing unvarnishedtartlet prompted me to come up with a list of 100 things that Eames is no longer allowed to do on a job. Then the ae-match happened and we started writing out the hundred things for team romance (go team romance!) [the list of the 100 things I wrote is here: http://immoral-crow.livejournal.com/4444.html]
> 
> Art happened, and during number 79 (That cephalopod-launcher is insane; please bring a proper gun next time) Red-rahl drew something that inspired me: http://ae-match.livejournal.com/90319.html?thread=2472399#t2472399
> 
> HOW COULD I NOT WRITE MORE STORIES FOR THAT TINY OCTOPUS? 
> 
> Which is how these stories happened:  
> http://ae-match.livejournal.com/92083.html  
> http://ae-match.livejournal.com/107756.html 
> 
> ANYWAY. Knowing that will make this update ever so slightly more explicable. EVER SO SLIGHTLY. 
> 
> If it doesn’t then hold on. I will sort things out for the boys shortly.

Oscar never liked it when Arthur was sad.

For a start, it meant the beach wasn’t full of sunshine and blue water. Instead there were rainclouds and grey seas and the sort of cold breeze that made Oscar uncomfortable. 

But Oscar was a smart octopus and he knew that he shouldn’t leave Arthur alone when he was like this. He wasn’t sure how many friends Arthur had while he was awake, but he suspected that there had been fewer since Arthur had spent all that time locked inside his mind. 

So he tagged along with Arthur every time Arthur came down, and they went for long walks along the stormy beach, long walks across the desolate cliffs, and (unsurprisingly) long walks through deserted seaside towns where the only sign that there had ever been life were boarded up stores.

At times like these, Oscar thought, curling his tentacles around himself in a comforting self hug, he really missed Mr Eames. 

But there was no sign of Mr Eames – nor anyone else. For the longest time it was just Arthur and Oscar, and Oscar suspected that he was only allowed there because Arthur had mostly forgotten about him. 

He didn’t mind that, though. Oscar knew he was a brave octopus, and if his Arthur needed him to do this, then Oscar would. So he accompanied Arthur, sometimes perched on his shoulders like they used to back in the days when there were adventures to explore, but mostly tucked in his pocket, nearly forgotten while he listened to the beat of Arthur’s heart and worried about what he should do next. 

He’d decided that he would seek out one of Arthur’s work friends the next time Arthur did a job (not that there had been many of those recently) when Arthur made the decision for him. 

“Come on.” Arthur was dressed all in black – even his tie – and Oscar didn't know much about human fashions, which were silly and used coverings rather than sensible skin colour changes, but he knew this was significant. So he changed his colour to match as he slid out of the rockpool and climbed up Arthur’s arm, and Arthur nodded approvingly. 

“Good,” he said, and settled Oscar onto his shoulder as they walked through the ghost town and out to the end of the pier there. 

It was quiet at the end of the pier, just the sound of waves splooshing gently and the soft gusts of Arthur’s breathing and Arthur stood there for a long while, his eyes fixed on the horizon. 

“I loved him so much,” he said at last, and Oscar noticed that he was fiddling with a band of gold on his finger. “I loved him so much, and now he’s gone.” 

The breath Arthur took next was heavier than the others, and Oscar didn’t like the noise it made. He tightened his tentacles around Arthur’s shoulders, reminding him he was there. 

It made Arthur look at him. “You know the worst thing?” he said to Oscar, like they were having a conversation. “I could get him back. If I jumped, if I went back down there, he’d be waiting for me, and I could have our life back again.” 

He blinked, and Oscar saw that his cheeks were damp. 

“I can’t though.” There was a tug and Arthur took the ring off his finger. “It wouldn’t be fair to him, and it wouldn’t be fair to me.” He looked at Oscar, and his shoulder bobbed as he shrugged. “And I guess it wouldn’t be fair to Eames either.” 

He took a step forward so his toes were right over the end of the pier and held his hand out. 

“Goodbye,” he said. “I’ll never forget you.”

He opened his hand and the ring fell into the water, seeming like it was suspended for a moment before it sank. 

Oscar knew he could get it back for Arthur, but Arthur didn’t ask and Oscar just stayed on his shoulder. 

Later, when Arthur went wherever it was he went when he woke up Oscar would go find the ring and make sure it was buried safely, where none of the extractors or mean people who tried to hurt Arthur could ever find it. For now, though, being with Arthur was enough. 

High above them, the sun finally came out from behind a cloud.


End file.
